Fishing is an activity that is growing increasingly more popular. As the sport of fishing becomes more popular, the market for devices and tools which allow for improved catch rates grows. Fishing for catfish is unlike fishing for most other types of fish. Catfish tend to be bottom dwellers, meaning that they spend the majority of their time at or near the bottom of a pond or river. These fish feed by smell, as opposed to sight. What this means is that a person fishing for catfish must use a bait that imparts a strong smell or odiforous scent to the water. A strong smelling bait will attract the catfish and allow the person fishing to entice the fish to strike the bait held by the hook. Among desired types of baits are liver, cheese, gizzards, rotten shrimp, or any other bait that emits a strong odor.
As is well known, when fishing, it is often required to continually cast and recast the bait. This is done because the fish are not biting in a particular location of a pond, and the person fishing is trying to locate the bait in a position proximal to where the fish are residing. Repeated casting results in the degradation of the bait. This is because the bait is subjected to the force of casting and is wet. The baits mentioned above are not readily resistant to such forces and conditions. Thus, these types of baits tend to break down and fall off the hook with repeated casting.
A further problem associated with the use of such baits relates to a trot line. This type of fishing involves placing a baited hook into the water for long periods of time, with the baited hook attached to a fishing line, which is then fixedly held by, or tied to, a branch or other object, around which the line can be secured. The trot line then remains in the water for extended periods of time, with the hope that a fish will take the bait and be held by the hook until such time as the person who set out the line returns to check the line. Extended submersion in the water will often cause the bait to degrade and, again, fall off the hook. For these reasons, it is desired to have a device designed to prevent the bait from readily separating from the hook. At the very least, it is desired to have a device that holds the bait in proximity to the hook. As such, it is important to have a device which allows the bait to be held on or near the hook so that when a fish takes the bait, the hook will be set.
Another problem associated with bait used in catfishing relates to small fish nibbling and feeding on the bait. Minnows, or small fish, will slowly eat the bait so that after a period of time, the bait is removed from the hook as a result of being eaten, or very little remains in contact with the hook. This means that the person fishing must continually replace the bait, because minnows and small fish are eating it. As such, it is desired to further have a device which eliminates or substantially prevents smaller fish from eating the bait.
There have been a number of devices designed to protect and maintain the integrity of the bait. For example, it has been known to take strips of nylon from hosiery and wrap such nylon around fishing bait to protect the integrity of the fishing bait. This, however, has a number of problems. First, the hosiery does not allow for the ready dispersion of the odors from the bait into the water. This eliminates hosiery from use by most people who fish. Also, the hosiery is made of nylon, which tends to curl and fray, and is difficult to handle. Thus, the use of hosiery has a number of disadvantages.
It has also been known to use mantels from a lantern to protect the bait. These devices suffer from being comparatively expensive and lacking the necessary integrity for repeated use. More particularly, the mantels cannot be used repeatedly because they degrade with time.
Other devices that have been used are typically integrally attached to a fishing line or hook, which results in a more difficult device to use. It is preferred if the device used for protecting the integrity of the bait can be readily slipped on and off the bait, with little effort. It is also preferred if the device is separate from the fishing line or hook, as each fisherman has his or her preference of hooks and fishing line gauge. Also, a removable, non-integral device is preferred because it will allow for the person fishing to reuse the device once a fish has been caught. Often, the fish bends the hook or damages the line so that it must be replaced, which, in turn, results in a preference for a separable device.
For the reasons stated, it is preferred to have a device that is separable from the fishing line and hook, inexpensive to use, and capable of reuse. More importantly, it is preferred to have a device that protects the integrity of bait that is repeatedly cast or left in water for an extended time. It is also preferred if such device prevents or inhibits feeding on such bait by smaller fish, which is not desired by the person fishing.